MKL's Dusty Bookshelf: The NEW Secret Reports
by MegaKiraraLover
Summary: A collection of old stories (both Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy). Challenges/Idea-Dump. Included are: Xemnas timetravel, an anime Organization, genetically engineered Organization!kids, Saix the literal puppy, Luxord as Balthier, the FF villains as cats, Hojo being a good guy, Vaan timetravel, Seymour raised in our world, and more
1. MKL's Note

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize as being from a major series-mostly Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, but there are crossovers within this-is not mine.

This is my new Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts Idea-Dump. I've seen lots of others do it, but have never bothered myself...but today I was going through my old flashdrive and found literally 12 crossovers I started and never finished...plus 30 regular stories...and that's just what showed up at first glance.

Um. Oops? -awkward laughter-

So if you were curious, here you go! I encourage any who wish to expand upon the ideas, take them for your own, take the first chapter and write your own story, consider the ideas challenges...et cetera.

**Just a few quick notes.**

1: These stories are pretty much never going to be expanded upon. Don't get your hopes up. If you want to have more, write it yourself! ;)

2: If a story IS expanded upon at any point, there will be a note added in the chapter title.

3: If you take up one of these stories, let me know! I'd love to read them! :D It'd be fun to see my half-baked ideas come to life~

4: Some of these stories are literally years old. The first one I'm throwing up is from early 2010. Some of them are from as early as 2008. So yeah, please ignore any spelling/continuity problems. :P

5: Enjoy!

-MKL, signing out.


	2. Fixing the Past

Kingdom Hearts:  
Fixing the Past

Summary: Given a chance to fix or re-create old mistakes, Xemnas and his Heartless are sent into the past. One half wants destruction; the other, salvation. Who will win in this unwinnable war? Who will triumph in his own failure? "When two are one, the story will end"...but how does two ever become one? Post-KH2/Pre-KH (depending on which time stream you're talking about); arguably AU from certain perspectives; ignores much of BBS and 358/2 canon

Pairings: Nope! Not a one! Suggested pairings, however, are fair game. Bring on the yaoi/yuri/slash/femslash jokes! XD

_**Chapter One**_

There was nothing around as far as the eye could see. The Darkness was stifling, pushing at him from all sides and trying to claim his senses. Again. He fought it for the first few hours–or was it days? Time was fluid here, it seemed–before he finally gave up. Let the Darkness take him. He had nothing left to "live" for, after all. Sora would fulfill his wish, he was sure, so what was the point in fighting it? He was gone for good...no miraculous appearance in a new form this time around.

**You sound quite sure of yourself, Nobody.**

He ignored the words that appeared in his mind's eye, recognizing them as those that the Darkness had used to communicate with him when he was still a Somebody. He had no use for evil forces such as that anymore.

**Me? Evil? Why ever would you say such a thing? When held by the right hands, I can be used for good, you know. Just look at the Darkling known as Riku.**

'_Riku chose In-Between, not Darkness,'_ he thought back evenly. He had no emotions; why bother faking them? He was, again, gone for good, so there was no point.

'**Gone for good', you say? Funny, you seem to be standing right in front of me.**

In his surprise, he jolted.

Wait...since when could he jolt while his physical Body was being slowly eaten alive by the Darkness?!

Two red-orange eyes opened and blinked in shock, staring at the swirling Darkness. He looked down at himself; his body was fine. Actually, it was more than fine. His body was _perfect_. It was as though the fight with the Keyblade Master had never happened in the first place. The only thing he was wearing was the standard Organization pants that were modeled after those that he had owned while working under Ansem the Wise, revealing his pale, well-muscled, and uninjured body.

**I told you, Nobody. You are standing right in front of me, uninjured and whole. Or at least, as Whole as you can be without your Heart.**

He jerked his head up to stare at the Darkness in front of him, barely making out a figure within it. It was impossible to make out more than a faded outline of a nondescript body with long hair, but the figure itself radiated Dark energy.

"What are you?" he rasped, eyes narrowed as he carefully hid his surprise at his own voice. He must have been there for quite some time; it sounded as if he had no water for years.

The figure across from him did not move an inch.

**I am afraid it cannot hear you. You see, that is your goal in its physical form; what you wish to do with your life...or non-life, as the case may be. But lately, it has been changing. It was once merely a Heart, floating within me and struggling to be set free. But now it has changed. Now it is instead struggling to enter me farther, but something is holding it back.**

He watched as four large Nobody symbols surrounded the figure, boxing it in; the figure still did not move, but he could sense its anger at being held back.

**Nobody. You wish your Somebody had never dabbled in the Darkness. You wish that you could somehow have stopped him. Is that not right?**

Silence followed that as he refused to respond. Besides, the Voice of the Dark would already know the answer. The asking was, undoubtedly, for dramatic effect.

**I thought as much.**

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm not Luxord," he said dryly, still watching the figure in the shadows. "I cannot travel into the past on a whim, and even he would not be able to travel back more than a week. So why does this matter at all?"

**You doubt my powers.**

He narrowed his eyes again and hissed out a low breath. "Whether or not I doubt your 'powers' makes no difference in this situation. I'm merely stating a fact."

**Facts can be incorrectly given or found. If you have the right connections, you can do most anything. Including change the past.**

Again, he jolted in surprise, red-gold eyes snapping up to the ceiling. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not making a sound, before he recovered enough to quietly choke out, "_What_?"

**Good. I have your attention now. So, what do you say: Are you willing to change the past, even if it means that you would no longer exist?**

He was unable to respond out loud, but (luckily?) the Darkness was able to read his mind quiet easily–probably even better than he himself could at times. Whether that was a good or a bad thing was impossible to tell.

**Then I suppose I will now make us even. For the pain that you unleashed due to my Children...and the pain I caused because I put so much pressure on such a young man after such a traumatizing experience...I will now give you the chance to save yourself. Have fun...Xemnas.**

Suddenly, searing pain ripped at his body. He felt as if his own energy was tearing him apart, atom by atom, taking away his breath so he couldn't even scream. Feeling his vision fade, he let out a strangled cry...

...and Xemnas disappeared from the Realm of Darkness, hopefully for the last time.

m^.^m

Slowly, Xemnas regained consciousness one sense at a time.

First was sight; gee, how useful–he could notice light flickering in through the inside of his eyelids. Woohoo. Second, however, was touch; now this was a bit more helpful. He could feel his body throbbing with a dull pain, a light breeze blowing his exposed face, and wet, dewy grass on his cheek. So then he was outside. That was definitely a good thing to know.

Third, his sense of smell; a dimly floral aroma wafted through the air, coupled with chemicals of some sort and the absent scents of a city. Odd, but also mildly helpful, since it meant civilization was nearby. Fourth, taste; this one wasn't so great. His own mouth, Nothingness, and Darkness. Yuck. And finally, he got back his hearing; birds twittered somewhere nearby, the wind that he had been feeling blew through what were probably trees, and people were...talking?

"–for him," a voice whined. A weary sigh responded.

"Would you stop that?" the voice that sighed muttered, sounding annoyed. "If you keep this up, we're going to get in some serious trouble. You know we're supposed to be studying right now."

Xemnas's whole body tensed as he recognized the voices, his breath getting caught in his throat. No...it couldn't be...!

The voices began to trail away as their owners walked in another direction.

"But Dil-aaaaaan, we're skipping them for a good cause!" the first voice said, now sounding more amused than whiney. "C'mon, lighten up, man! Master'll totally understand!"

"Braig," the second voice said warningly. "Shut up."

Xemnas waited until the presences were far enough away that they weren't going to come back before he slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the expanse of green grass before him that ended in a familiar stone wall that was easily seven feet high. It couldn't be possible. Those two...they had Faded! No, not Faded–they had been taken by the Heartless more than seven years ago! How...how was it possible that they were still alive!?

Slowly, carefully, Xemnas got up on his hands and knees and peaked over the top of the hedge he was hiding behind. He felt mildly foolish, but he wasn't one to let his guard down, and this was the only way he could think of to keep some sort of cover so that he wouldn't be seen.

The people who were undoubtedly talking were quite a bit away now, but their rather unique hair styles and walk was more than enough to identify them by (for Xemnas, at least). He stared for a few moments at their backs before abruptly standing up and using his powers over Nothing (the element, duh) to transport himself quickly to the top of the nearby wall. Slowly, he pulled up his hood to hide his features so that no one would recognize him, watching with curious eyes as the two who had been speaking earlier continued to walk away.

"Maybe I should keep a low profile," Xemnas muttered to himself, frowning. "If what I suspect is true, revealing myself could be disastrous and completely destroy my own past..." He paused, then shook his head. "But for now, it would probably be most helpful to find out exactly what _time_ it is...after all, if I want to do what I'm planning, I need to figure out how much I have to work with..."

And with that, he carefully half-floated, half-jumped down from the wall and slowly strode in the direction that the other two had come from.

m^.^m

To say that today was not going well was a total understatement. First, he had woken up late and missed breakfast, and since he didn't trust anything he (or his favorite servant, for that matter) cooked, he went without eating. Shortly after, an experiment had exploded in his face, directly in front of Master Ansem. Then, as he was cleaning up, his aforementioned favorite servant walked in and fell over, knocking them both in the ground. Before they could recover, Braig had walked into the room and snapped a few pictures of them in a rather compromising position before laughing hysterically and walking away.

Yes, to say that Xehanort was not having a good day was a complete and total lie. A better way to put it:

This day completely and utterly _sucked_.

"I wish I could just crawl into bed and go back to sleep," Xehanort muttered to himself as he trudged down the familiar hallway that led from the lab he had been working in to his room, head lowered and eyes on his boots. "But stupid me promised to do the shopping today...with Ienzo." After contemplating that for a few seconds, Xehanort groaned aloud and stopped in the middle of the hallway, turning to the wall and leaning his forehead against it as he slowly closed his brown-red eyes. The cool stone eased his new migraine a little. But just a little. "Why me?"

"Something wrong, Xehanort?" a soft, childlike voice asked quietly. Xehanort blinked open his eyes and turned slightly towards the voice, quickly locking gazes with a pair of curious purple-blue orbs.

Despite himself, Xehanort felt a slight smile twitch at his lips, slowly pulling away from the wall so he could look more fully at the teen standing not three feet away.

"I'm fine, Ienzo," he lied, nodding politely. "You're ready to go?"

"Yes," Ienzo confirmed with his own, more real smile.

"All right. Let me just go change–I'll be back in a minute."

Without waiting for confirmation, Xehanort turned away from the silverette and walked rather lazily down the hallway.

Yep. Today sucked.

And it was doubtful the situation was going to improve.

m^.^m

It took longer than expected for Xemnas to find a few lesser Nobodys in a mostly-uninfested Universe such as this one. Actually, only three answered to his five-minute call: two Dusks and a Dancer.

"All right," Xemnas sighed, sitting in a low branch of a tree that had a good view into the labs of Ansem the Wise's castle. He slowly reached up with one hand and rubbed his temple, closing his eyes with a soft sigh. "All right. I can work with this."

He dropped his hand and sighed again, opening his eyes to gaze pointedly at the three standing/swaying on the ground before him. "Dusks," he began, "go find out what the exact date is. A newspaper, something someone else heard–anything that might be of use. And Dancer," he glanced now towards the slightly smiling Nobody to the others' right. "...take care of Xehanort. Make sure he is not harmed by any Heartless or Nobodys. And," his voice suddenly took on a hard edge, "all of you need to keep a low profile. Make sure you are not seen by anyone. If you are, try and keep it as brief as possible."

_**Yes, Sire.**_

Xemnas was completely unfazed by the Nobodys' ethereal voices echoing through his head as the three of them disappeared in a swirl of white energy, the Dancer lingering a moment longer than the others to bow gracefully and flash what could have been a wink if its eyes weren't covered by its pink beanie-like hat. Actually, that wasn't a surprise; even before Demyx had come along, the Dancers had been very respectful, loyal, intelligent, and yet playful Nobodys in and of themselves.

"Now I just need to sit back and watch..." muttered Xemnas, teleporting to a higher branch. He rested his back against the tree and closed his eyes, focusing on the gaze of the Dancer. He would need to keep a close eye on his Somebody, after all, if this was going to work...

m^.^m

"Xehanort, what are you staring at?" asked Ienzo curiously as the two walked down the path towards the Marketplace. Xehanort blinked once, shaking his head, then turned his gaze from the direction of a booth back to Ienzo. He could have sworn he saw a flash of silver, but

oh well. It was probably just his imagination.

"Nothing, Ienzo," he said instead, smiling a bit at the young silver-haired apprentice. "I just thought I saw something."

"You, too?" Ienzo muttered, surprising Xehanort. The violet-eyed boy turned to face forward again with a thoughtful frown that simply didn't look right on his young face. "I thought it was just me being paranoid, but if you saw it, as well "

Xehanort's stomach dropped as he again caught the slightest hint of silvery-pink out of the corner of his eye. " any idea what it is?" When Ienzo merely shook his head a fraction, Xehanort sighed a bit. "Perhaps it's harmless. A stray dog or something."

Suddenly, Ienzo smiled and gave Xehanort an innocent look. "Like yours?"

A scowl alighted to the white-haired man's face, but amusement still tickled his reddish-gold eyes. "You and I both know he is not a dog," he scoffed. His scowl suddenly lifted into a grin. "He's a Prince in hiding."

Ienzo snickered, ducking his head to hide his grin as Xehanort shook his head, pretending not to notice the strip of silver just barely visible from the side of the nearest building.

"So what's on that list from Master Ansem?" asked Ienzo curiously when he recovered.

"I'm not quite sure," Xehanort admitted, pulling out the slightly crumpled list from his pocket. "Food, I'd imagine."

With a roll of his eyes, Ienzo fought down a smile. "Well, gee. How insightful of you, Xehanort."

Xehanort grinned in response. "I know."

And so the shopping trip continued, both of the Apprentices forgetting about the flash of silver and pink that continued to follow them with eerily-graceful movements as they went down the street, being watched every step of the way...

-"ANSEM" APPEARS-

"Ahahahaha...my, my, what a pretty little picture," a vaguely familiar voice sneered from nearby. The Apprentices all glanced around in confusion, but Ansem the Wise's previously content and happy look was suddenly morphed into one of dread, his back going ramrod-straight and his golden eyes widening in surprise.

"Who's there?" demanded Braig, slowly getting to his feet and looking around wearily. Another slightly sadistic laugh came from everywhere, yet nowhere, the familiarity itching at Xehanort's mind. Where had he heard that voice before...?

The hairs on Xehanort's neck stood on end when the voice responded, abruptly centralized in the air above them. "Why, Braig...I'm so _sad_ to hear you can't even recognize my voice."

Almost instantly, seven necks craned to look up into the air, and seven pairs of eyes widened when they made out the figure above them. He was eerily familiar. His skin was too dark; his irises were glowing a bright yellow while the rest of his eyes were black; his hair was a bit too well-tamed he was definitely too tall and probably a few years older; his outfit was made up of whites and grays and silvers and blacks that simply wasn't right when he was compared to who they thought he resembled, and the symbol dangling from a necklace that was shaped like a three-pronged heart with an "X" through it sharply contrasted it...but there was no mistaking who the figure looked like.

The figure looked like none other than Xehanort, with a twisted smirk on his face and his arms folded over his chest. He was hovering in the air in front of their little picnic, eyes trailing over them all, and Darkness seemed to float lazily around his feet.

"Hello, Apprentices," the man who looked like Xehanort greeted, his smirk just a bit too sadistic for comfort. "Master Ansem. Wonderful to see you all in such...great...health."

Slowly, Ansem climbed to his feet, eyes trained on the Xehanort look-alike's face. His mouth was pressed in a firm line and stress wrinkles made themselves known around his mouth, eyes, and on his forehead as he radiated an almost resigned aura of anger.

"What do you want?" questioned Ansem the Wise in a strained, weary voice. The not-Xehanort's smirk widened before he threw his head back and laughed at some unheard joke.

"Why, your Hearts, of course!" he cried, untangling his arms to spread them out to either side of his body. His chest, partially revealed, was a bit too muscled to belong to Xehanort–it looked like it would fit better on Dilan, or possibly Sarrius, but never Xehanort. "After all, I _am_ a Heartless, you old fool."

Sudden anger flashed over Ansem the Wise, all of the muscles in his body strained as he stood protectively between his Apprentices and the not-Xehanort, almost as if he were...a human shield.

"You shall not have them, Xehanort!" he spat, ignoring the sharp intakes of breath from the Apprentices. The most noticeable one was from the Xehanort behind him, whose wide-eyed gaze was trailing between Ansem's back and the figure up in the air who resembled him so.

The not-Xehanort's smirk took on a predatory edge, a gleam alighting to his eyes that simply didn't belong anywhere but on a feral animal. "Then you do know who I am," responded not-Xehanort in a vaguely amused voice, as if they were speaking of an unsuspected aspect of the weather. "I wonder why?"

Ansem continued to glare at the not-Xehanort, and soon the figure seemed to recognize something in the elder man's gaze; his own orbs widened a fraction before he again laughed, sending chills down the spines of the Apprentices.

"Oho! So then _this_ is how you escaped the Realm behind the Door to Darkness–by fleeing to another timestream entirely!" The not-Xehanort clapped his hands together, sick glee spreading over his features. "That explains so much! My, how the idiotic Nobodys of your little charges would be amazed...actually, how they _will_ be amazed!"

Completely unfazed by the almost musing taunts of the not-Xehanort, Ansem slowly raised his arms to either side, anger and pain on his face. "Please, Xehanort," he said softly, voice again strained. "Leave these men be. They have done nothing to harm you!"

After a few tense moments, during which the not-Xehanort seemed to honestly think on this, the dark-skinned man's sadistic grin returned. However, now the bloodthirstiness in his eyes was also evident on his face. "Perhaps not yet...but you know as well as I do that they will." Slowly, the not-Xehanort again folded his arms over his chest, continuing to stare at Ansem with that predatory expression and a hungry gleam to his eye. "Besides, now that I have come to this Time and Place, I can easily open the Door to Darkness on my own. Why not get rid of my enemies...before they become my enemies?"

Ansem's expression became even more pained as he glanced back at his charges.

Braig was standing up behind him, staring with shock and a look of almost understanding on his face, a fierce protectiveness in his eyes; it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was willing to protect his family/friends to the end. Even was still on the ground, but he was looking between Ansem and the not-Xehanort with fear and anger, his eyes glistening with some untold emotion that seemed to be a cross between confusion and reservement. Just behind Even, Ienzo was watching not-Xehanort's face with pure terror, shivering as he leaned as close to Aeleus as possible. Aeleus himself had one arm draped around Ienzo's frail and sickly form, glaring at the not-Xehanort as if silently daring him to attack.

And Xehanort...Xehanort seemed to have the most emotions out of all of them: his eyes gleamed and narrowed in fear and pain, his lips pursed in anger and interest, his nose crinkled in disgust. Ansem knew what would happen if he allowed the not-Xehanort anywhere near his charges: all of those precious emotions would be gone. They would never return.

Ansem the Wise would do _anything_ to keep that from happening again.

"If you wish to get to them," Ansem finally said, turning back to the still amused face of the not-Xehanort, "then you will have to go through me first...Xehanort."

"It would be my pleasure, Ansem the Wise," the not-Xehanort sneered, practically cackling with glee. "But before I do, I must inform you of something that you should probably already know." Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground, the Darkness swirling around his feet disappearing as soon as he touched the dewy grass. "I do not go by 'Xehanort' anymore. He was dead the moment he opened the Door to Darkness."

Ansem's throat went dry, but he slowly shook his head, willing to humor the not-Xehanort if for no other reason than to buy time. "...all right. If you no longer go by Xehanort...then...what is your name?"

Gradually, the not-Xehanort smiled. While the expression would look innocent on anyone else's face, on the not-Xehanort's face, it was filled with silent rage and triumph. "My name..." the creature said, slowly lifting his hand as an orb of Darkness formed in his palm. "The name I have chosen..." He paused, allowing to orb to grow in size before he tilted his head. "...is Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Destroyer of Worlds."

Ansem the Wise's eyes widened in shock, but before he could say anything, the orb of Darkness went flying from Ansem the Seeker of Darkness's hand and slammed in his chest. The elder man let out a choked cry, stumbling back a fraction and nearly tripping over Even before the blond and his friends sprang to their feet, all of them clearly frightened and angered.

"An...sem..." the great scientist said, still gazing blankly at the not-Xehanort's face. Ansem, Destroyer of Worlds smirked and nodded.

"And you, my foolish master," the not-Xehanort drawled as Ansem slowly began to fade from sight, "are nothing more...than Darkness in Zero."

Before another word could be said, DiZ uttered a cry of pain and was gone in a whirl of Darkness.

"No!" cried Xehanort, lunging forward and trying to grab the wisps of Darkness that arose from where his beloved Master had once been. Tears welled up in his eyes as they slipped through his fingers, Ansem the Destroyer of Worlds and Seeker of Darkness laughing sadistically from above them.

"Now, to move on to those who are more worthy of the gift of Darkness!" exclaimed Ansem, sounding almost excited. He raised both of his hands. "Come, Guardian! We have clean-up to do!"

Darkness whirled around behind him, its energy flowing around Ansem and again lifting him from the ground as a figure began to appear. The Guardian of Darkness appeared over Ansem's shoulder before anyone could comprehend what was going on. The creature, glowing black and three times as muscular as Ansem with a Heart-shaped hole smack in the center of its chest, seemed to have a smirk of its own despite the lack of a visible mouth.

"Damn you!" Braig growled, moving to stand in front of Xehanort as Even set about trying to move the traumatized white-haired man away. One glance at the poor teen, who was gazing blankly at his empty hands with hot tears silently running down his face, was more than enough to reveal that he could not move on his own. "What'd ya do ta Master Ansem?!"

"Why, sent him back to his timestream to deal with my Other Half, of course!" Ansem said brightly, speaking as if this were the most obvious and perfect thing in the world. "Once he has, my Nobody will be gone forever, and then nothing will be able to stop me from taking over this timestream and, eventually, every Universe in existence! Imagine all the beautiful Hearts, sucked out of their owners and immersed in Darkness...all the Heartless who will be created and allowed to roam free as the only being worth existing! It's like a dream come true!"

"You're insane," said Dilan, eyes narrowed as he stood next to his long-time friend. Ansem threw his head back and laughed again, then grinned crazily at them when he recovered.

"Believe me, Dilan, I am quite aware of that! Actually, I believe it was you who first recognized my mental instability!" Suddenly the...the _creature_ stopped speaking, pretending to be thoughtful as his Guardian floated patiently over his shoulder, its eyes gazing hungrily at the Heart-filled beings before him. "Or perhaps that was Even...ah, memories are such fickle things...especially when it comes to something as insignificant as a person's mental state."

"What d'ya hope ta accomplish by takin' our Hearts?!" Braig demanded, hoping to keep Ansem talking and buy time for the others to get Xehanort out of there. He got the feeling that the creature saw right through the ruse, but that didn't stop him from responding almost flippantly.

"Getting rid of the competition before they're able to retaliate," Ansem said simply, gazing at the two before him with contempt and smoldering hate in his eerie eyes. "By turning you all into Heartless, your Bodies and Souls will merge together and create the first humanoid Nobodys of the infamous Organization XIII, the only ones who could possibly be a danger to my plan other than the Keybrat. If I manage to kill the Nobodys before they realize their true potential, however, then not only will my competition and opposition be out of the way, but I will also have fourteen powerful Heartless at my disposal!" He again let out a laugh, the sound dripping with malice. "I will be completely unstoppable!

"Now, enough talk," snapped Ansem suddenly, eyes narrowing as he abruptly became serious. He threw out his hand in their direction, sending Dilan and Braig on-edge as the other four Apprentices attempted to get Xehanort to move out of the way even though the teen seemed glued to the ground. "Guardian, seize their Hearts one by one and deliver them to me! I wish to see them squirm! Starting with..." Ansem's smirk returned, just barely teasing his lips as his eyes narrowed in anger. "Starting with the Freeshooter, Braig."

Almost instantly, the Guardian let out a feral roar that literally shook the land beneath the Apprentices' feet, lunging forward to attack Braig...

"ENOUGH!" a new voice roared as a flash of black and silver flew just before the suddenly frozen Braig. There was a hissing sound as the flash paused in front of Braig, two long beams of red appearing in a cross-pattern and stopping the Guardian, causing the creature to roar in pain and retreat a few feet...minus a hand.

All eyes snapped onto the figure who had stopped the Guardian's attack. Silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, styled back in a slightly spiked way, and a black cloak flowed down and fluttered in a nonexistent breeze. Pale hands held a pair of red light saber-like weapons, which were what cut off the Guardian's limb, but the Apprentices could not make out anything more of Braig's savior. Ansem, however, did.

The not-man's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed as pure, unadulterated hate flickered onto his face, his lips pulled back into a snarl, his nostrils flaring, and his eyes flashing with an inhuman light.

"You," Ansem half-whispered, his voice dripping with malice. Then he raised his voice to a shout. "You! You should not be here, Nobody; you were destroyed by the Keybrat!"

"I could say the same about you, Heartless," said the Apprentices' savior in a complete deadpan. Slowly, the weapons lowered to the black-cloaked figure's sides, a chill of recognition again running down Xehanort's spine and causing him to look up with unseeing eyes. "You were decimated nearly a year before the Keyblade Master even so much as knew of my kind's existence."

"Hah!" Ansem suddenly sneered, his features still twisted in the most ugly of ways. "HAH! You honestly think that was able to kill me?! A little trick of the Light is nowhere near enough to destroy a great warrior such as myself!"

The figure before Braig seemed completely calm, his voice reflecting that with only the slightest hints of strain behind his words. "So you say as your Guardian cowers in pain from a rather small wound I inflicted. Honestly, I would call you 'pathetic' long before I ever called you 'great,' you idiotic Heartless."

The sneer retreated, replaced again with that look of pure rage. The Darkness surrounding both Ansem and his Guardian suddenly increased, the larger of the creatures again giving a roar.

"You honestly wish to save them, Nobody?!" demanded Ansem, voice so acidic it was a miracle that Braig's savior did not melt with the force of them. "You honestly want to prevent your own existence!?"

"They are merely children," said the cloaked figure in a soft, but firm voice, sounding almost sad. "You should leave them be. Go find a kitten to torture or something."

"Children?" Ansem laughed, but this time it was more crazed and a bit higher-pitched than before. "You fool! Even is nearly as old as we are physically!"

The cloaked figure remained unruffled. "You know what I refer to."

Again, Ansem sneered, abruptly throwing his hand forward. "Change of plans, Guardian! Do not take the foolish Apprentices' Hearts just yet! First, decimate this idiotic Nobody who thinks he can get away with insulting us as he has by being in semi-existence!"

Obediently, the Guardian snarled, revealing previously-hidden white canines that were probably twice as long as any wildcat's. It flew forward towards the cloaked figure, but said cloaked figure was ready; he caught the hand that threatened to bore through his chest with one light saber-weapon and sliced straight through the creature's neck with his other. His head tilted a bit to the side, his hair sliding to reveal his almost glowingly-pale skin and the slightest hint of a firm, but smooth jaw line.

"Game over, Guardian," the man said simply as the black creature disappeared in wisps of Darkness. Slowly, the man righted his head, taking a few steps forward with his weapons still drawn and apparently staring at the shocked and almost fearful Ansem. "Now, are you going to continue this fight, or will you leave these children in peace?"

Anger again flushed over Ansem's features and he raised his hand, summoning an odd weapon that appeared to be two dragon wing-like swords fused together at the hilts, twirling it in his hands a few moments later. The cloaked figure let out a low sigh.

"I thought as much..." He lowered his stance a fraction, appearing all the more serious. "Well then, come, Heartless. I will allow you to make the first move."

Snarling and growling, Ansem flew forward, slashing for the cloaked figure's neck, but before he could connect the figure disappeared; he reappeared behind Ansem and slashed forward, giving the Apprentices their first view of his face. Needless to say, they were shocked.

This man, too, was eerily familiar. His skin was too pale, his eyes a brilliant red with just a hint of yellow in them and a slit pupil in the middle, completely devoid of emotions. His bangs hung at chin-length around his face in a way that the one he resembled wore it when he was younger, the actual shade silver instead of white, and he was only slightly taller and a few years older. His outfit consisted of a simple black cloak with silver tassels, black pants, and black boots with silver-gray trim, looking a bit more like his look-alike's taste, but not quite. Again, there was no mistaking who the figure looked like. Xehanort came back to reality just in time to recognize the figure, his eyes widening and mouth opening a bit in shock.

Xehanort's other look-alike, Braig's savior, (who was oblivious to Xehanort's sudden awakening) suddenly narrowed his eyes and whirled around to completely ignore the figure of Ansem before him, instead blocking an attack by the newly re-formed and...somehow _larger_ Guardian. He shoved the creature back, standing firmly on the ground even while the creature floated in the air, and slashed, then whirled again, this time to catch the spear that Ansem had hurled at him with one of his blades. The other saber-weapon was busy slashing at Darkness that was curling around his form...the whole scene seemed like three different opponents were fighting the new look-alike at once.

But the most surprising thing was, the look-alike seemed to be _winning_–and rather effortlessly, at that.

"Damn you!" screamed Ansem at an almost inhuman pitch, floating a bit in the air again and slashing forward with a speed too fast for human eyes. Yet every attempt to hit the look-alike was easily blocked, as well as the attacks from behind from the Guardian. Braig's savior suddenly jumped up into the air to an impossible height, did a backflip, then flicked his bangs aside absently before lifting his hand and firing off a round of red bullet-like things at Ansem and the Guardian. Ansem lunged out of the way, but the Guardian wasn't quite quick enough; again, it was decimated.

"Give up yet?" asked the look-alike, sounding only mildly breathless even as Ansem panted heavily. The yellow-eyed man glared up at the other, shoulders sagging a bit with his fatigue.

"Never, Nobody."

"Too bad!" Braig suddenly shouted. Ansem realized too late that he had put his back to another enemy that he had forgotten to factor into the fight, and turned around just in time to get smacked in the forehead by a tree branch that Braig was wielding. The black-haired man glared as Ansem crumpled to the ground, blood that looked more like liquid Darkness dribbling from his newfound wound. "That...was for goin' after my family."

"Nice shot," the look-alike said, arching an eyebrow as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. He touched down and gave Braig a long look, then returned his gaze to Ansem, who was groaning like an injured child on the ground. The look-alike walked over with the easy grace and deadliness of a predator on the hunt. "Heartless. Leave. _Now._"

The Seeker of Darkness cracked open an eye, glaring at the look-alike. "I'll get you for this," the creature hissed. Then, slowly, he sunk down into the ground in a pool of Darkness. It only took a few moments for him to fade completely out of sight.

Silence fell over the group, the Apprentices looking over the look-alike and the look-alike looking over the Apprentices. Eventually, Braig's savior broke the silence.

"You have adequate medical facilities here, I trust?" he suddenly asked. Slowly, Braig nodded, causing the look-alike to nod in return. "Good. Because I think...I am going to need them."

And, without another word, the look-alike fell to the ground and landed flat on his face, unconscious before he could feel the cool grass against his skin.

m^.^m

When Xemnas woke up, the first thing he felt was actually not pain, surprisingly enough. No; the first thing he felt...was numbness...followed quickly by an abrupt explosion of pain from every cell in his body. His eyes snapped open and he let out a strangled cry, lunging to sit up in bed and wrapping his arms around his legs with his face buried between his knees and eyes screwed shut. He breathed in sharply; dear Kingdom _Hearts_, that hurt like hell! He had forgotten what it was like to use up all of one's energy in a single fight like this!

Eventually, over the span of what felt like forever (but was really only about five minutes), Xemnas slowly untensed his muscles one at a time. His breath hissed out in pain after each one, but eventually he managed to completely neutralized the aching feeling from the battle with the pain reliever that occurred naturally in a Nobody's body.

Sometimes, Xemnas was honestly thankful for not really being in existence.

"...are you okay?" a voice asked meekly from nearby. Xemnas's whole body tensed again and his face shot up, a snarl on his lips and 'anger' radiating from his form, but it abruptly softened when he caught sight of brilliant blue-purple eyes half shaded by short, silver-blue hair on either side.

He never could stay mad at Ienzo for long–or Zexion, for that matter.

"What are you doing here?" Xemnas asked after a few moments, voice steady and revealing none of the pain he felt. Or so he hoped (futilely, if young Ienzo's slight wince was any indication).

"I...was watching over you," admitted Ienzo, shuffling his feet slightly. He was sitting in a chair near the foot of the bed Xemnas was laying in, eyes staring at Xemnas's pale face with curiosity and slight apprehension. At the slow arch of Xemnas's eyebrow, he blushed a bit and added, "T-to make sure you weren't injured or...something."

The memory of slight amusement lit up within Xemnas's eyes, but otherwise he remained mostly unemotional. "Really? And did you decide to do this on your own, or...?"

"Um." Awkwardness arose in Ienzo and he lowered his gaze to Xemnas's chest before abruptly raising it to the Nobody's face again, flushing bright red and causing Xemnas to notice that he was without shirt. His lips twitched when he realized this revealed his admittedly well-toned 'pecs and abs'...to use Xaldin-like terms. "We kinda...decided on it together...after you saved Braig and all of us..."

Ienzo trailed off awkwardly, causing Xemnas to frown a bit. Of course he had saved Braig. Was that really so odd?

Upon remembering that he was technically a stranger with a face that looked eerily similar to another man in existence during this time period, Xemnas quickly realized it was.

"Well, I can assure you I am fine," he responded rather pleasantly. "Undoubtedly my collapse was just from overworking my body."

"That's what Even said," Ienzo offered eagerly; then, realizing the slight innuendo behind his words, he flushed again. "Er, I mean..."

Xemnas held up a hand to stop Ienzo from continuing, silently amused. "I understand what you mean. Not to worry."

Some of the tension in Ienzo's body seemed to ease at Xemnas's unintentionally comforting tone, the just-barely-a-teen nodding with a slight smile. "Good." He paused, then shook his head, again appearing embarrassed–but this time without the blush. "Braig would have made fun of me for weeks if he caught that one..."

Despite himself, Xemnas gave a single chuckle, nodding his understanding. Xigbar would do the same if poor Zexion messed up like that, but seeing as how the younger Nobody chose his words so carefully, it was quite hard for the one-eyed man to accomplish, thank Hearts above.

Silence fell for a few moments, Xemnas examining Ienzo silently. He remembered the boy well, but something about him was...off. His hair was longer, for one thing; his Ienzo didn't start growing his hair out until he was fifteen or so, if his mental timeline wasn't off. It was the same silver that his Ienzo had been graced with, only the slightest hints of blue in it that would come out dramatically once he became a Nobody, and falling slightly into both of his innocent blue-purple eyes that would turn gray-purple by the time he lost his Heart.

Merely looking at this untainted Ienzo caused the hole in Xemnas's chest to ache. It reminded him too much of what had been...what should have remained in his Universe and Time. He eventually looked away.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ienzo's high-pitched, not-quite-matured voice asked. Unintentionally, Xemnas flinched, but he quickly regained himself enough to nod. He still stared somewhere over Ienzo's shoulder, refusing to make eye contact.

"I'm fine," he added aloud when he sensed Ienzo's continued gaze on him. Slowly, he laid back down on the bed, sighing softly. "I...am merely still tired."

"Oh...okay." Was that sadness in Ienzo's voice, or was Xemnas completely hallucinating? "You should probably go back to sleep, then..."

As he closed his eyes, easily falling into the realm of dreams, Xemnas neglected to respond.

m^.^m

Xemnas was, again, in the Realm of Darkness. He was, again, standing before his goal. At least...he thought it was his goal. The figure had, again, changed.

Instead of being a single long-haired figure surrounded on all sides by large Nobody symbols, there were multiple figures, all with various heights, stances, and hairstyles, surrounded by more Nobody symbols as Heartless symbols attempted to destroy the barrier.

Imagine Xemnas's surprise when he counted sixteen within the circle.

**Welcome back, Leader of the Nobodys.**

A scowl spread across Xemnas's face, but honestly he was more concerned with the figures that he assumed made up his goal before him.

**What? No "hello" to the one who gave you a second chance?**

"A second chance in what I suppose is another Universe," said Xemnas dryly.

**Ah...so then you have figured that much out on your own.**

With a stifled sigh, the silver-haired Nobody folded his arms over his chest and shifted his weight onto one foot. "Sending me back in time in my own Universe would create a major paradox. It would be impossible to keep it from collapsing in on itself."

**Precisely. You really do deserve the title of "Ansem the Wise's most gifted and trusted apprentice", do you not?**

Xemnas merely shook his head in response, feeling a migraine coming on already.

**I trust you have noticed the change in your goal, Nobody.**

"What does it mean?" asked Xemnas, frowning at the figures within the Darkness. The Voice of the Dark let out a low chuckle.

**I should hope you know. It is, after all, _your_ goal.**

A low sigh escaped from Xemnas's lips, but he neglected to respond.

**Well. I suppose I could tell you. Your new goal is not merely to keep yourself from falling into the Darkness. No...now your goal is to save every person in your Organization from being turned into Heartless. It is quite possibly _im_possible, but yet...here it is, hiding within the depth of your consciousness.**

With a grimace, Xemnas again sighed, closing his eyes and turning his head away from the figures. "I tend to reach for the stars, even if it is virtually impossible to ever come close to them," muttered he.

**But at least, if you fail, you will have seen the most marvelous view in existence because you tried.**

Before he could respond, Xemnas was gone.

m^.^m

When Xemnas again woke up, the natural pain killer in his body had worked its way through his system and left behind only a dull throbbing that was minuscule compared to what it had been the first time he awoke. Xemnas opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling for a few moments, then sat up, gaze wandering towards the chair where he had seen Ienzo before. A frown tugged at his lips when he realized that the teenager wasn't there.

Despite himself, Xemnas felt the memory of panic clutch at his throat. A thousand thoughts raced through his head: Was he injured? Was he bored? Had he been attacked? Did he just become hungry or something? Or, perhaps...had the _Heartless_ come back?!

All those thoughts fled his mind when the door opened, unintentional relief flooding his body. Then he frowned when he saw who came in, eyes trained on a clipboard and a frown marring his younger face.

Sensing eyes on him, Even looked up, jolting in mild surprise upon seeing Xemnas awake and allowing the Nobody to quickly look him over. He looked much like the Even he remembered: long, dirty-blond hair down past his shoulders pulled back into a messy ponytail with stray locks falling towards his face and into soft green eyes with the slightest hints of blue in them that would eventually fade if he turned into a Nobody. His skin was perhaps a bit darker (but not to the point of being "tan") and his features seemed younger than they should have been judging solely by Ienzo's age, but other than that, it was like looking into a mirror that viewed the past.

"Oh, you're awake," said Even eventually, voice more nasally than Xemnas remembered; in all honesty it was closer to Vexen's voice than Even's. The blond walked forward a bit, frowning in mild concern and mild interest. "Are you feeling all right?" At the way Xemnas slightly cocked his head to the side, he rapidly added, "No dizziness, pain in your extremities...unnatural memory loss?"

The last part was said hesitantly, and it was all Xemnas could do to bite back a sarcastic response. Instead, he again shook his head.

"A dull ache in my body, but nothing that will take longer than a day to disappear," the Nobody said smoothly. Even flinched a bit at Xemnas's voice, but managed to mostly stay apathetic, nodding his understanding.

A few moments passed in tense silence.

"...are you...feeling up to some food?" ventured Even after the silence was too much for him to bear. "I could call Braig in to bring some for you..."

"That would be...nice," Xemnas admitted after a few moments, his stomach quickly jumping to agree. He shot it a look when it growled angrily, ignoring the slight smile that touched Even's lips before abruptly disappearing. The blond ducked out and left Xemnas in silence once more, allowing the Nobody to relax slightly and close his eyes. His mind drifted to the eyes of the Dancer, who was swaying around above the Castle, apparently sensing his silent wish before he could say anything.

**_Do you need something, my liege?_**

_'There have been no attacks on the castle beyond the one from before?'_ thought Xemnas to it, using the special telepathic link that existed between all Nobodys. It had taken years to hone to the point where he could make out more than pictures and garbled sounds from the non-humanoid Nobodys, but the work had been well worth it. He could practically see the Dancer smile.

**_Not since the one I called you for, Sire. There are no signs of other Heartless, either, although a new Sniper has appeared and is awaiting instructions. I plan to remain here to watch for anyone who could harm you or those you are protecting, unless you tell me otherwise._**

Did Xemnas ever mention that Dancers are loyal, intelligent Nobodys? Because they are.

_'Thank you, Dancer,'_ Xemnas thought. Then he paused before adding, _'For this as well as calling me when you first spotted my Heartless.'_

**_I exist to serve you, my liege. It was my "pleasure"._**

And with that, Xemnas cut the link and started a new one with the Sniper.

**_Yeah?_**

Despite himself, Xemnas winced at the laid-back word choice of the Sniper. They, too, were loyal to a fault, and they were more powerful than the Dancers in combat, but much like their commander they were quite laid-back and willing to do things their own way. It was endearing at times, but mostly it was just annoying.

_'Do you know who I am?'_ he asked instead. He could sense the interest arising from the Nobody at his question.

**_Are you my leader?_**

_'For now.'_

The Sniper seemed to muse on that for a few moments.

**_Got it. Memorized your aura, Sir._**

Not quite the eloquence of other Nobodys in these words, but they were good enough for Xemnas. With the lack of Nobodys in this time-slip thing, he could use all the help he could get. _'Good,'_ he thought back. _'Are you prepared for your first order?'_

**_Prepared as I can be, Sir. What do you need me to do?_**

_'Try and find out as much as you can about my Heartless. He is sentient, and attempting to destroy both myself and those who I wish to protect. Do whatever you need to do to find out what he is planning, where he is hiding, and anything else of interest. ...just refrain from harming innocents and making yourself known to the general public of the Universe.'_

**_Yes, Sir!_**

With a mental roll of his eyes, Xemnas cut that link as well, opening his eyes with a stifled sigh and staring blankly at the white wall before him. Nobodys of all sizes were more intelligent than any Heartless excluding oddities such as his own Darkness, save possibly the Creepers and Dusks (who could only say a few words at a time and confused basic instructions...like bringing back pictures of a lost Nobody instead of the Nobody himself), which meant they all had their own quirks that were unique to their species. However, without a master, they would eventually become as feral as any Heartless and attack any and all beings with Hearts, Heartless included, in an attempt to find one to replace their own. Even Xemnas had these instincts in the back of his mind, although he managed to smother them with his own will (he didn't appear to be a human for nothing, after all).

Which made him wonder how some of them ever survived long enough to become subservient to the Organization.

Xemnas was distracted from his thoughts when Braig walked in with a large grin...and a huge tray of food.

"Yo!" greeted the black-haired man, balancing the food as Xemnas watched silently. "Good mornin'! Nice a ya ta wake up, dude. Thought you were gunna sleep forever."

"..." was Xemnas's intelligent response, staring at the food on the plate as his stomach growled. He abruptly snapped his eyes downward and shot the offending part of his body another look, causing Braig to snicker as he brought over the food, setting it on Xemnas's lap without even bothering to warn the other man (who jumped a bit in surprise, but managed to keep the food from spilling).

"Here ya go. Eat up, man."

Almost instantly, Xemnas began to "chow down" (as Xigbar would put it), eating swiftly but with a surprising grace and deliberateness behind his action. He didn't pause until he had gone through nearly half of the food, at which point in time he finally seemed to realize he was acting rather like a wild lion and stopped abruptly, a fork full of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. He suddenly looked disgusted and slowly lowered the utensil, shaking his head.

"I...apologize," said Xemnas, reaching up with a stifled sigh and running a hand through his hair. Braig, who was sitting backwards in the chair Ienzo had occupied earlier, blinked in obvious confusion. "I am acting like an animal. I didn't even bother to ask your name."

To Xemnas's mild surprise, Braig began to laugh, throwing his head back and sounding rather like a hyena. This gave Xemnas the chance to dazedly take in Braig's appearance.

He, too, looked mostly like the Braig he remembered: unkept black hair with the slightest hints of white and silver laced through it, pulled back into a thick ponytail at the nape of his neck, revealing his slightly pointed ears. He had that long scar down his left cheek, but to Xemnas's mild surprise, he had both of his eyes, which were the rather ominous yellow that Xemnas remembered. It was odd–he always thought the tall, thin man (who had a bit more actual muscle to him as Braig, rather than the admittedly anorexic look of Xigbar) had lost his eye long before he received that facial scar...

"Dude, don't apologize!" exclaimed the graying man with a wide grin when he recovered, waving his hand as if it was going to brush off Xemnas's apology. "Ya saved my life–hell, _all_ our lives! You're allowed ta be a bit impolite!"

It took a few moments for Xemnas to fully comprehend what Braig had said, at which point in time he shifted his gaze away, a deadpan expression on his face. "Ah...I...see," he muttered, eyes glazing over slightly. "The Heartless..."

With a sigh, Braig nodded, folding his arms over the top of the chair's back and resting his chin on his hands. "Yeah. That dude. The one who called himself... 'Ansem, Destroyer of Worlds' and 'Seeker of Darkness.'"

With a blink, Xemnas turned to look at Braig with an arched eyebrow. "He gave you his name?"

"Yeah," Braig repeated, blinking in surprise. It was all Xemnas could do to beat down the impression of the emotion of apprehension and fear. If the Heartless gave his name to the children...then...! "'S that a bad thing?"

"It is," mumbled Xemnas, staring directly into Braig's eyes. He waited until the black-haired man shifted uncomfortably before he went on. "If the Heartless told you his name, it meant that he wasn't afraid to reveal himself to you. Which means..." His expression hardened into complete seriousness. "Which means he plans to kill you before you can tell anyone else."

Braig made a noise of surprise, eyes widening as he jerked into a sitting position. Xemnas slowly turned his gaze back to the wall, a frown marring his otherwise deadpan face.

"Dude, that guy was freakin' strong," pointed out Braig, sounding half-serious, half-fearful. Xemnas nodded slowly, turning to look at Braig as the younger man went on. "If ya hadn't been there when he attacked...and if ya leave an' he tries again..."

Silence fell between the two before Xemnas sighed and shook his head.

"All of this drama, and neither of us know the other's name," he said, sounding mildly amused despite himself. Of course, he knew who Braig was, but as far as the younger one knew he had no idea. With a vague gesture towards himself, Xemnas locked eyes with Braig. "My name...is Xemnas."

After a few moments, Braig smiled a bit and nodded, holding out his hand. "Braig, dude," he said as Xemnas gently took the hand and shook it. The two quickly let go, Xemnas still staring curiously at Braig as the Nobody responded.

"Your friends...they are safe?" Xemnas questioned, honestly half-dreading the question. He trusted the Dancer's word, of course, but still...even Nobodys' enhanced senses could occasionally miss important things.

"Yep," Braig said with a nod, smiling brightly. "Thanks to you. Honestly, man, that was freakin' awesome! The way ya took out that creepy 'Destroyer of Worlds' dude was flippin' sweet!"

Despite himself, Xemnas rolled his eyes a fraction, returning his attention to the food still on his lap. "I suppose...but, honestly, I could have been much more creative if I had bothered to eat before coming after him."

Braig seemed confused, but he didn't press the matter as Xemnas began to eat again at a reasonably more subdued pace. Truth be told, this whole situation was making his head ache (and, unbeknownst to him, Braig's as well), but he had survived worse.

The flash of a Keyblade in Xemnas's mind caused him to suddenly wince, but he quickly covered up his discomfort before Braig could notice. Or so he hoped...

-END-

MKL's Post-production Notes (9-24-13): So this was something I wrote. I've always loved timetravel pieces...in any section of fanfiction. I don't know how popular it is nowadays in KH-land (I haven't even touched this section of fanfiction since shortly before BBS came out!) but this is my take on the old formula~

SPOILERS: At some point, Ienzo would have been captured by Ansem and end up losing his Heart. Xemnas would have appeared shortly afterward and saved him from being completely destroyed, but Ienzo would have been overcome by the instincts of a Nobody-the instincts to try and find a Heart, any Heart, to fill the gap the loss of his left behind-and almost turned one of the others into a Heartless. I don't know how I would have resolved that...maybe a pack-like thing with Xemnas dominating him (NOT IN THAT WAY YOU PERVS) and demanding control? I don't know. The notes to this story were lost in my old computer that crashed back in '08, haha~

4/5 yrs pre-Nobodyifying  
Ansem the Wise: Unknown  
Xehanort: 19  
Braig: 22  
Dilan: 21  
Even: 25  
Aeleus: 18  
Ienzo: (13/)14 (birthday just passed)  
Isa: 18 (birthday 1-2 month[s] before)  
Lae: 12  
Dyme: 10  
Lorud: 15  
Lumaira: 14  
Elenra: 10  
Sora: 2(ish)


	3. FFXIIKH: Heart of a Sky Pirate

Kingdom Hearts XII:  
The Heart of a Sky Pirate

Summary: It has been five years since Luxord lost his Heart to the Heartless, and he finds himself becoming somewhat...homesick. He wants to just leave the Organization, but knows well enough that it is a deathwish. Then a blast from the past forces him to make a decision...and, hopefully, Luxord won't regret it. Post-CoM(AU after that), Post-FFXII

Pairings: Canon (including one-sided), I.E. Sora&Kairi, Roxas&Namine, (onesided) Riku&Kairi, AS WELL AS Vaan&Penelo, Rasler&Ashe, (somewhat) Balthier&Fran, AND MORE. Also look out for: Braig&(unnamed)OC, Isa&(unnamed)OC, (onesided) Elenra&FFVIIturnedKHcharacterTseng

_**Prologue**_

"Balthier, have you ever heard of the creatures known as the _Rayndmacc_?" Fran asked one day, sounding mildly interested. Balthier, who was sitting back in his normal chair on the _Strahl_, frowned a bit at his somewhat new partner.

"Ra-ahaen-demah-k?" he echoed doubtfully, the word sounding more foreign than he thought could have been possible. When the Viera, who was standing up with her back to him and staring out the window of their airship, didn't correct him, Balthier shrugged. "No...I can't say that I have."

The wind whistled eerily along the _Strahl_'s helm.

"...why do you ask?" Balthier questioned after a few moments, giving into temptation. For a long moment, Fran didn't seemed inclined to reply, but just as Balthier was about to give up, she spoke.

"The _Rayndmacc_ are creatures who steal the Mist-laiden centers of any beings they encounter," Fran slowly said, still not turning around. Despite his best efforts, Balthier could notice nothing telling about her tone other than the fact that her voice was somewhat softer than normal. "Long ago, back when the Wood still covered more than half of Ivalice, they appeared from the deepest depths of the Mist. My people fought against them for quite some time and only barely managed to drive them away from the Planet, but we lost many in the process. It was then that we discovered a new type of creature, this one known as the _Huputoc_."

"Haho-peoh-teohk..."

Again, Fran made no indication that the pronounciation was right or wrong, so Balthier decided it was right as she continued her rather random and out-of-character story. "It did not take long for my people to realize the _Huputoc_ greatly resembled our fallen comrades, save for a few key differences. Most notably, we could sense no natural Mist within their bodies; it was as if they were the walking dead. And yet, they had rational thought and were able to communicate with us, although they could not speak to the Wood. They seemed to be in pain, and when asked, they admitted that they found a strange urge to find the Mist they apparently had lost."

"And your people didn't find that suspicious?" Balthier found himself asking before he could stop himself, waggling an eyebrow pointedly. However, without Fran turning around to see the action, he found it kinda pointless and gave up. "All right, so the..._Huputoc_ wanted to get back the Mist that was stolen from them. Sounds rational enough."

"But it was in no way 'rational'," Fran interupted before Balthier could continue. The sky pirate blinked slowly, frowning somewhat, but bit back the sarcastic remark he honestly wanted to make in favor of letting his new partner continue to speak. "They began doing irrational things in attempts to regain their lost Mist. They formed a society and banned together, creating new creatures, destroying old, and attempting to use live creatures to regain it. Eventually, they became so mad in their inane search for their Mist that my people were forced to kill them all.

"It is even said," Fran went on as Balthier stared incredulously at her back, hoping she wouldn't turn around and see him in such an unbecoming position (for him at least), "that their...'experiments' were what created many of the 'fiends' that terrorize the people of Ivalice today."

Silence.

"...so, what you're trying to say is that your people were doing the world a favor by committing mass murder," Balthier paraphrased pleasantly enough, attempting to squash the feeling he was having that something about this whole idea was horribly, horribly wrong.

"Perhaps," conceded Fran mysteriously, still not turning towards him.

"Well then." Balthier slowly stood up and gave an amicable grin at her back. "I suppose I see their point. If these '_Huputoc_' really were doing such horrible things, perhaps it was for the best."

"Perhaps..."

Something seemed to be crawling down Balthier's back, like millions of little bugs tickling his skin, but the man shrugged it off and started towards his personal cabin in the back of this ship.

Yes. He could see their point.

But, despite his words and the fact that clearly these creatures needed to be put out of their misery, Balthier just couldn't shake the sinking feeling that destroying a whole race was the wrong way to go about it.

After but a moment, Balthier shrugged that thought away. It wasn't like the whole situation applied to him, anyway. So he resolved to go to sleep.

No one was aware that this night was the first time a _Rayndmacc_ appeared on Ivalice for over two thousand years.

_**Chapter One  
**__**Forbidden**_

Luxord was _frustrated_ and _bored_, something which everyone who knew him realized was a bad, bad thing. When Luxord was frustrated, his betting skills got better, and when Luxord was bored, he tended to hunt down people and force them to play card games until they either fled for their Munny pouches' lives or lost all of their precious savings to him (or visa-versa, as the case may have been). But after nearly an hour of nothing happening, people finally began to relax.

It was then that Luxord made his move.

"How are you doing, Roxas?" the Gambler asked rather amicably, smiling his most innocent smile when he walked in on a game of DDR. Somewhat startled, Roxas-who was playing against the computer-stumbled and nearly fell over before whirling around, smiling in relief when he saw it was just Luxord.

"Hey, Luxord," the young blonde teen greeted, nodding at his friend. "What's up?"

Luxord's smile became a bit wider as he chuckled at the boy. His eyes twinkled with the illusion of amusement. "I do believe I asked you first."

Ignoring the odd speaking habits of the Brit, Roxas shrugged, pretending to ignore the fact that his score on DDR was plumetting without him there to watch it. "Eh. I was just playing DDR, so I guess I'm doing all right..." He glanced over his shoulder and when he looked back at Luxord, he was scowling playfully. "At least, I was until you made me loose my concentration."

"Ah, my appologies," Luxord responded, not sounding at all appologetic. But no one could really, honestly blame him-after all, like the rest of the Organization, he couldn't feel the emotion(s) needed to be truly sorry. "Where's Axel?"

"He's on a mission right now," Roxas said with a shrug, turning back towards the TV to exit out of his videogame so he could give the elder Nobody his full attention. "Why? Do you need something?"

"No, not really." Luxord watched with interest as Roxas fiddled with the Playstation 2 system someone had gotten from some planet somewhere in the large Universe they occupied. Maybe. "I was just a bit bored and wondering if someone wanted to play poker or some other such game with me."

Being one of the people who knew Luxord, Roxas instantly became wary, although not as much as some of the older members might have if they were in Roxas's shoes. Luxord, you see, had an honor code: He refused to bet with those who were underage or any women (unless it was the rare occasion when he was drunk or the woman was Larxene; then all was fair game).

"So long as I have free reign to leave whenever I want, I'll play Go Fish or some such," offered Roxas, realizing what Luxord was trying to imply.

Surprisingly, Luxord waved his hand as if to brush off Roxas's reply, looking somewhat bored. "Never mind, do not worry about it," he said lethargically, giving the short blonde a long look. "Honestly, I don't really want to, anyway. I'm too...bored."

Needless to say, Roxas was _shocked_. "You're too bored...for _gambling_?"

"Yes." A hint of 'amusement' lit up in Luxord's eyes and he gave Roxas a suave smile. "You know, just because I'm the 'Gambler of Fate' and I attempt to live up to that role, that doesn't mean gambling is my favorite passtime. Honestly, I just do it because that's what everyone expects of me."

"Really?" asked Roxas, looking almost awed. Luxord nodded absently, an almost faraway look to his eye as he gazed somewhere to Roxas's right.

"Mmmm," Luxord hummed noncommitally. "...my real passion's always been stealing, actually. Well," he chuckled lowly, "airships, women, and stealing. Or perhaps...my passion's always been adventure. It would make some sense. Like why..."

When Luxord died off, Roxas became concerned. "...Luxord?"

"Eh, it's nothing." Again, Luxord waved his hand, this time to brush off Roxas's concern as he grinned at the child, back to his normal self. "You know, _I_ am getting hungry. Care to come to the kitchen with me, Roxas?"

"Sure," Roxas agreed, smiling somewhat to hide his worry for the elder Nobody. He could tell that Luxord was really out of it, even as the two walked out of the room and Luxord started up a conversation about the finer points of poker-for Roxas's benefit, of course. However, just as the two were about to walk into the kitchen, a portal opened up and Demyx appeared. The musician's clearly frazzled appearence allowed Roxas to direct his concern elsewhere.

"Demyx?" the Keyblade Weilder asked, blinking. "Are...you okay?"

"Xigbar!" he suddenly exclaimed, gazing between Luxord and Roxas with wide, almost fearful eyes. "He found a weird lady running around killing the Heartless outside the Castle!"

Roxas took a few moments to process that. "A new Nobody?"

Instantly, Demyx shook his head, going so fast that it was a miracle the thing didn't pop off. "No, Xem-er, Lord Superior said that she's gotta Heart, but you gotta _see_ her!" Demyx's head suddenly stopped shaking and he gave the two before him a quick look to see their reactions. "She's really tall and she's wearing this weird metal clothing and she's kinda tan and her hair's white and she's got _rabbit ears_-!"

Instantly Luxord's face paled and he stared incredulously at Demyx as the boy continued to ramble. Roxas, being the bright teen he was, noticed.

"Luxord, is there something wrong?" the Key of Destiny asked as Demyx stopped talking to give Luxord a weird look. The Brit's expression changed from one of shock to thin-lipped annoyance-perhaps even the shadow of anger.

"Demyx, where is this woman," he asked, his voice a deadpan neither of the boys had heard from him before. It took a few moments for the sitar-player to get over his surprise.

"She's in the meeting room, but I think-" Demyx began. Luxord cut him off and flashed a tight smile.

"Thank you. Roxas, if you'll excuse me, I'm afraid we're going to have to postpone this little excursion to the kitchen. Perhaps next time?"

Without waiting for the other two to respond, Luxord summoned a Corridor of Darkness and disappeared into it, re-emerging within the meeting room. Almost instantly, his eyes fell on the woman Demyx had been describing and his expression softened somewhat before hardening when he saw the chains holding the woman's wrists together and the fact that she was flanked by six lesser Nobodys, two Snipers on her left, two Sorcerers on her right, and two Dragoons behind her. There appeared to be no one else in the room at the moment.

"Fran!" cried Luxord before he could stop himself, walking forward a few steps. He abruptly stopped when the Viera's head snapped up and she made a growling noise, giving Luxord such a feirce look that it was amazing his face didn't melt off.

"_Huputoc_," snarled Fran, appearing half disgusted and half angered. Luxord froze and his eyes widened as he abruptly remembered a story he had heard long, long ago:

_"The _Hoputoc_ greatly resembled our fallen comrades...however, we could sense no natural Mist within their bodies; it was as if they were the walking dead...Eventually, they became so mad in their inane search for their Mist that my people were forced to kill them all."_

If Luxord could feel, he had no doubt that his current emotions would be muddled, probably a concoction of hurt, betrayal, anger, and sorrow. It took a few moments for him to regain himself, at which point in time he became serious, taking a single step forward so he was barely a foot away from Fran. He could see the confusion in her eyes.

"Yes, _Huputoc_-a creature without natural Mist within their bodies," he said in an even tone, watching Fran's eyes widen somewhat in shock and...was that the beginning of understanding? "A creature without their Hearts within their bodies, to be more precise. The ones who your people were forced to kill because they grew mad and threatened to destroy all of Ivalice. I've heard the story from you before...Fran."

And then it clicked; he could see it in the way that Fran's shoulders slumped somewhat. Slowly, almost sadly, Luxord gave a familiar grin that had lost most of its meaning five years ago.

"It's good to see you again, Fran. I hope you took good care of the _Strahl_ while I've been off on my 'inane search' for the Mist I lost when the _Rayndmacc_ attacked."

Slowly, Fran breathed in, and when she breathed out, there was wonder, worry, and sadness in her eyes. "Balthier," she connected. When Luxord merely inclined his head a fraction, Fran suddenly became steely-eyed and lifted her chin defiantly. "I refuse to speak to _Huputoc_ who impersonate my close companions after they have been lost in battle. Be gone."

"I'm afraid I can't leave just yet," Luxord responded, hearing some of the imprinted cockiness return to his voice as his grin became a slight smirk-one that Fran clearly recognized as well, since she flinched visibly. "Not until I find out how you got here with your Heart intact."

"I owe you no explinations, _Huputoc_."

Slightly annoyed, Luxord just barely managed to keep himself from snapping at the familiar woman. "I do have a name."

"It is not one I know, or have ever known," growled Fran. After taking a moment, Luxord sighed somewhat, frowning at her.

"Well, if you insist on pretending you have never met me, I suppose I'll supply you with my new name." He leaned forward somewhat and tilted his head up, his grin returning with perhaps a bit more meaning. "Luxord, at your service, my dear."

"I care not to hear the name of a false being."

But Luxord could hear the slight waver in Fran's voice, and he allowed himself to regain a margin of cockiness as he straightened from his stance and dropped his grin, watching Fran's eyes follow his movements wearily. "Either way, at least now you know. I think it fair that you also know I am not here on anyone's orders. I don't give a damn how you defeated so many Heartless on your own or why you know what I am-mostly because I'm already well aware. The only thing I want to know..."

A hint of what was panic rose into Fran's eyes, but Luxord ignored it and allowed his voice to soften. His grin returned once again. "The only thing I want to know," he repeated slowly, eloquently, "is how you got here safely, Fran."

A long moment passed in silence, and Luxord was reminded of his time spent with this same woman on the _Strahl_, during which conversation was mostly supplied by him for the first few years of their working together as the Viera observed him intently before letting down her guard. He was secretly pleased she had yet to let go of this habit.

"...I followed a _Rayndmacc_," she eventually revealed, causing Luxord's lips to twich minutely in an effort to widen his grin. He forced back the urge as Fran continued. "Its way of travel was...different. I lost track of it at some point and found another, which I followed here. Not too long after, I was attacked, and then-" She narrowed her eyes somewhat. "-one of your _Huputoc_ friends decided to attack me from behind and bring me here."

"That...would be Xigbar," Luxord sighed, running a hand absently through his hair and pretending not to notice when Fran gave him a dirty look because of it. "He tends to be a bit rough, but at least he understands that women need to be treated carefully...at least, he will when I get through with him."

"Is that so?" a voice asked with a barely contained laugh from behind Luxord. He blinked in surprise and turned to find Xigbar standing about three feet away, looking amused as Luxord frowned somewhat. "Well then, dude, 'get through' with me, why don't cha?"

When Luxord made no move to do so, Xigbar chuckled without humor. "Thought so," he said as if expecting that. "Wouldn't dare attack your superior, would ya, Lux?"

After but a moment, during which point in time Luxord's fingers curled into fists as he struggled not to attack just to prove the graying Nobody wrong, Luxord nodded mutely with his poker face in place. He could practically hear Fran's little trust that he was who he said he was shatter; if he were truly Balthier, and Xigbar had been some other guy, he would have already punched Xigbar out and then went on to say something witty over his unconscious form.

But Luxord wasn't truly Balthier. And Xigbar wasn't some random guy-he was Luxord's superior, and, like it or not, there would be hell to pay if he hit the second(-arguably-third)-in-command of the Organization...for both himself, and more than likely Fran.

"So, talking to the chick with the ears?" Xigbar asked conversationally.

"Fran," Luxord unconsciously corrected, mentally cursing himself at Xigbar's somewhat surprised look.

"Oh, so the chick has a name, eh?" Xigbar brushed past Luxord and the blond gambler turned just in time to see Xigbar catch Fran's chin between two worn fingers, allowing the gunner to examine the woman more thoroughly. Luxord could feel the fine hairs on his neck and arms bristle in anger, and he didn't care that Fran noticed when her eyes drifted in his direction. "It's cute."

"_Huputoc_," growled Fran, giving Xigbar a glare that would cause most any Somebody to go crawl under the nearest rock. Xigbar, however, just looked even more amused.

"What's that, an insult?" asked Xigbar, cocking an eyebrow. "'Cause if it was, it didn't work."

"It's what you are in my language. A being without natural Mist-without a Heart," Luxord suddenly realized that Fran had been listening to him talk and found himself 'feeling' oddly happy about it, "willing to chance the lives of those with them for their own selfish goals. _Huputoc_."

"Oh?" Xigbar seemed intrigued by this and his other eyebrow rose to join the first. "And what would it be in _our_ language, cutie?"

"Simply put," Fran slowly said, eyes narrowed dangerously, "it means you are one without a true Mist Body-a true Essence. A Nobody."

Almost instantly, Xigbar jerked his hand back as if he had been burnt, his single eye smouldering with what Luxord identified as anger and shock. Just as Luxord was bracing himself to jump forward and stop any attack the raven-haired man might pull, however, someone's voice broke in.

"Enough, Xigbar-don't rile our guest too much," the smooth voice of the Superior said. Luxord's eyes narrowed as the silver-haired leader of the Organization strode forward slowly, stopping next to Xigbar and watching the man step aside for the higher-ranked Nobody. Xemnas ignored Xigbar in favor of giving Fran a long, hard look.

"Tell me...Fran, was it?" Xemnas asked rhetorically. Fran made no move to respond, so the Nobody of Xehanort went on. "Tell me, how did you get here?"

Fran made no move to respond, just glaring at Xemnas. The leader waited patiently for all of two minutes before he frowned slightly. "Well? I know you can speak-I heard you speaking with Xigbar just moments before I announced my presense. How did you get here?"

"I will answer no questions for a _Huputoc_," Fran responded with a sneer. Xemnas's frown slowly turned into a scowl and Luxord gave Fran a look that suggested she answer, but the Viera was too busy staring at Xemnas to notice. It didn't take long for Luxord to realize she honestly wouldn't have 'listened' to him anyway.

"You won't answer anything?" Xemnas asked slowly, even for him. When Fran's sneer became a snarl in response and she tersely nodded, Xemnas stared at her for a long moment...before smacking the girl across the face.

Instantly, Luxord started over to help, and Xigbar shot the blond a look that reminded him who he was dealing with. But Luxord honestly didn't care; if he were to say it out loud, he would probably point out he didn't "have the Heart for it." A bit cliche for his normal quips, but it would have worked.

It wasn't until Fran raised her head enough to lock eyes with Luxord that he stopped walking, just half a foot away from Xemnas. The Leader seemed to ignore the advance entirely and instead turned his attention to the lesser Nobodys around Fran.

"Take her to the dungeon," he ordered tersely. "Lock her in a cell. She is to be allowed no food and no water." Xemnas gave Fran a perfectly calm smile, pulling back his lips to reveal almost all of his pearlly white teeth as she growled aloud at him. "We'll see if she still refuses to talk after a day or two."

"Dirty _Huputoc_," was Fran's terse retort. Again, she was smacked across the face by Xemnas, the crack echoing loudly in the high-ceiling'ed room.

"Maybe then she'll also learn to clean out her mouth when she does speak."

And with that, Xemnas swept out of the room, Xigbar shooting Luxord an almost pitying look before following. Luxord, Fran, and the lesser Nobodys were left behind.

"Put her in the one with the bathroom," Luxord finally said after almost a full minute, glancing pointedly at the Nobodys around Fran. "If she can't have food or water, she can at least have a decent place to...well, you understand."

The Nobodys didn't wait for him to demand more before they opened a group portal and slowly dragged Fran into it. Luxord silently watched her leave, and he caught Fran's eye when the Viera finally glanced over her shoulder.

It was all Luxord could do not to run over when her eyes seemed to ask for Balthier's help, but that was mostly because by the time Luxord made the connection, the Nobodys-and Fran-were gone.

_**Chapter Two  
**__**Torn Heaven**_

It didn't take long at all for Roxas to realize that there was something seriously wrong with Luxord.

The man had appeared in the kitchen not too long after Xigbar had sent Demyx to spread the news that the strange girl was now going to be held as a prisoner, looking rather distracted. Roxas had been telling Luxord about random things and found himself going marvelously off topic without Luxord even noticing, the Gambler merely nodding every so often and making affirmative noises when there was a pause.

"Okay, Luxord, what is wrong," Roxas finally asked/demanded after a pause where Luxord had said, 'Mmmhmmm.' The Gambler slowly pulled himself from his thoughts and blinked languidly at the Keyblade Wielder.

"...what?" he asked, blinking again. Roxas stiffled a groan as he slammed a hand into his forehead, ignoring the jolt that went through his body with the action.

"I just said that I slept with Larxene and Saix videotaped it and all you said was, 'Mmmmhmmmmm'," the young teen dryly pointed out, causing Luxord's eyes to widen somewhat as he came back to reality. "What's wrong with you? You're never this out-of-it, even when you're drunk!-actually, scratch that; you tend to pay attention to _everything_ when you're drunk. ...you're never this out-of-it, even when you're sober!"

Despite himself, Luxord cracked a slight smile and chuckled lowly, nodding. A look of obvious relief crossed Roxas's face at the reaction.

"Don't you worry yourself about it, Roxas," Luxord said with a slight smile. "I'm just a bit dazed, is all. Perhaps a little confused. Honestly, it's not anything serious."

It only took Roxas a few seconds to frown and fold his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. "It's about that girl, isn't it," he noticed, watching as Luxord's eyes shifted in his direction with only a hint of surprise. "The one Demyx said is now our prisoner."

Silence.

"What makes you say that, eh?" Luxord eventually asked, flashing a dazzling smile in Roxas's direction. The teen looked unimpressed.

"Did you know her before?" he asked instead, gazing at the Gambler curiously as a single brownish-blue eye twitched. "Before you lost your...you know."

After staring at Roxas for a second, Luxord dropped his smile and shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. "I can assure you I have never seen the woman before in my non-life."

"So then you did know her before you lost your Heart."

_Drat,_ was the entirety of Luxord's thought process. A few more moments passed before Luxord sighed and gave a slight, almost sad smile. "Ah, you're wise beyond your years, my young friend."

"Or I'm good at noticing silences and horrible attempts to tell half-truths," offered Roxas dryly. Luxord took only a moment to chuckle before his gaze shifted to the side.

"Yes, I knew her," he admitted, closing his brown-blue eyes as he stifled a sigh. "Back when my surname was still Dolur and I followed no one's rules. We were...partners, I suppose you could say."

"In what?"

Luxord opened his eyes again and turned towards Roxas with his best I-know-something-you-don't smirk. "The business of sky pirating, lad."

"Sky pirates?" echoed Roxas, a strange gleam of what was clearly excitement coming to his eyes. Luxord's smirk widened and he nodded.

"Rulers of the airs of Ivalice, loyal to no king and free to do whatever we wish," Luxord dutifully informed Roxas, watching with the echo of amusement as Roxas began to soak up his information like a sponge. Like most kids, he thought the life of a pirate was one that was full of adventure and intrigue.

None of them realized just how much pain went into the business and how much one had to leave behind.

"So, that's why you said your passions have always been women, airships, and stealing," Roxas mused, sounding as if he were talking about a dream. When Luxord glanced over, he had to blink a few times to get rid of the image of a stubborn and vaguely feminine seventeen-year-old with an odd idea of 'fashion' that overlapped Roxas's visage.

"Precisely," Luxord chuckled, nodding somewhat. "My job was my life, and I loved every minute of it up until the end."

"And that woman...is your partner?"

Noting the purposeful use of the present tense with some amusement, Luxord smirked again. "Yes, the partner to the most dashing sky pirate out there, a Viera by the name of Fran. She's quite the looker, and good with a variety of weapons, to boot. I took the gun, she took the bow and sword, and together we made quite the team."

"Wow," was all Roxas had to say as he stared at Luxord with wide-eyed awe. Luxord chuckled a bit before he glanced away and a foreign, darker expression took over his face.

"And now the dashing sky pirate has allowed his beautiful partner be captured and is unable to make a move to save her because he decided to align himself with, not a king, but a dictator," the Gambler muttered quietly, barely allowing Roxas to catch the words.

"...why doesn't the 'dashing sky pirate' just break off that allience?"

"Because," Luxord sighed lowly and gave Roxas a slight, sad smile that actually looked semi-real, "the 'dashing sky pirate' has found some people he honestly 'cares' for who are a part of that allience. And he doesn't wish to risk their safety if he leaves them behind in his mad dash to save someone who may not even trust he is who he vaguely appears to be. You understand, naturally." At Roxas's surprised and somewhat confused look, Luxord decided that he didn't want to stay there any longer and stood up. "And on that note, I believe I am going to go visit the prisoner. Good day, Roxas."

He walked out of the kitchen and said nothing more.

"Hello, all," Luxord greeted cordially when he appeared at the base of the stairs that led to the dungeon, smiling his innocent smile at the four Dusks, two Creepers, and one Gambler who stood guard. "How are we doing?"

_My Liege. No food or water for the prisoner is allowed._

Not at all phased by the echoing voice that was more pictures and sensations within his head, Luxord scoffed somewhat and held out the thermos he was holding. "I have no water. It's clearly tea. And you can check; I have no food on me, either. Just a bit of fruit for the young lady's hair. You know," Luxord's smile widened as he edged closer to the cage, ignoring his Gambler's piercing non-gaze as he continued to speak with the lesser Creepers and Dusks, "some cultures think fruit within a young lady's hair is a sign of beauty. I just wish for her to feel at home. Surely you understand."

Of course, the lesser Nobodys had no idea what half of the words that came out of Luxord's mouth meant, but they understood that one of their masters had come with no water or food in hand. So they obediently parted the way-including the Gambler, who continued to stare at Luxord.

"Yes, I know-please play along," Luxord mumbled when he walked past the more intelligent lesser Nobody. "And make sure they don't catch on to me."

_Of course, Sir._

Nodding in response to his Gambler's somewhat amused not-voice, Luxord strode up the final few steps to the cell he could spot Fran sitting in the back of with her head lowered. He pressed a button on the side, watching Fran as the door opened and her ear twitched. It wasn't until he stepped into the cell and the door closed behind him that the Viera finally looked up with a snarl.

"I come bearing offerings of peace," chuckled Luxord, holding up the thermos as Fran's fierce expression faultered somewhat. "See? Tea, for the enjoyment of the young lady."

Without any sign of fear or anything other than calmness, Luxord strode closer to Fran, whose hands clenched into fists as he sat down cross-legged across from her.

"...why do you come to see me?" Fran asked when Luxord turned his gaze down to open the thermos. After a pause, Luxord glanced up with a blink, his expression showing he had no idea what she meant. Fran continued in a low, almost suspicious voice. "I already told your leader that I would reveal nothing to you _Huputoc_. So why do you come anyway?"

"What, I can't just come down and visit a pretty lady in my off hours?" Luxord asked with his usual, you-know-you-think-I'm-sexy smirk. He held out the thermos for Fran to take, still smirking somewhat. "Come now, drink. You haven't had anything for at least two hours, probably even longer given the fact that you were likely on The World That Never Was for a while before Xigbar came and found you. I certainly don't want to see you dehydrated, my dear."

After a long moment, Fran slowly reached out and took the thermos, her long fingers brushing against Luxord's. She instantly flinched and quickly pulled the drink back, as if worried he wouldn't let her keep it, but Luxord merely watched with half amusement and half sorrow as she treated him like he was going to harm her.

"I still do not understand," Fran muttered after she had taken a long, but somehow still dainty drink from the thermos. She held it loosely in both hands, staring at Luxord with a mix of confusion and something else the Nobody couldn't identify. "The stories...they say _Huputoc_ are selfish and insane creatures that will take no pity upon any outside of their race."

"I'd have to say that, overall, that description is probably quite true," Luxord admitted, causing Fran's eyes to narrow. He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a bag of dried fruits, which he held out for Fran to take as he continued to speak. "But, like with every race, there are exceptions to the rule, and stories can become exaggerated with time.

"I'm not saying that we aren't selfish," Luxord continued as Fran took the bag cautiously, this time much more careful to not touch his skin. "On the contrary, we are. And we don't pity anyone outside of our race, especially when it comes to regaining our Hearts. A few of us are even insane. However."

Luxord remained silent until Fran looked up from her food, the woman frowning ever-so-slightly at his serious face. "We still have memories, whether we acknowledge them or not. We still hold the memories of the past-of what it was like to have our Heart, our Mist, to feel-to keep us on the right track. You may not believe it, Fran, but we are who we look like, within our memories. It's just a question of us trying to become that person again...for our sake, and for the sake of those we left behind.

"So," Luxord finished, leaning back somewhat and reaching behind him so that he didn't fall over as an amicable smile crossed his face, "I guess you could say that ol' Luxord here honestly is just remembering a time when he had a partner who he quite literally gave his Heart for. Purely for the purpose of being sentimental-it's a role women find quite admirable in a leading man. You understand, of course."

A few heartbeats passed in silence as Fran stared at Luxord with an unreadable expression. Then she gave a single, "Hmm"-like laugh and closed her eyes, a slight smile on her face. "I do understand," she agreed, opening her eyes again to catch Luxord's. The Gambler of Fate's smile widened just a fraction upon seeing the familiar elements of amusement and trust within Fran's golden-brown orbs. "Luxord."

Although mildly confused, Luxord found himself pleased with the response and chuckled lightly, nodding at his Viera friend.

_Someone is coming, Sir._

Abruptly, Luxord's chuckling ceased and he became serious, suddenly getting to his feet. Fran gave him a somewhat weary, somewhat confused look, but Luxord merely put a finger to his lips to signal for her to be quiet and turned towards the door.

"Go find out who, Gambler," he muttered softly to the lesser Nobody who was gazing into the cell with its usual, unseen expression. "But don't be spotted. Make sure you report right back."

_Of course, Sir._

Without another "word", the Gambler disappeared in swirls of spiky black and white energy. Luxord glanced over his shoulder and gave Fran a slight smile, although it was a bit strained given the situation.

"A lesser Nobody known as the Gambler," he explained in a tone too quiet for human ears, but loud enough for Fran's Viera ones to pick up. "They can be quite helpful when in need of a spy or distraction, I suppose, although their personalities are a bit...lacking. I suppose you could say they always have their poker face on."

Before Fran could comment, the Gambler re-appeared, tossing a die into the air with its unseen hands.

_It's Lord Roxas, Sir. Do you want me to stop him?_

"Roxas?" Luxord echoed doubtfully. He shook his head a fraction upon realizing what was going on. "No, just let him come. Make sure the others don't stop him, either."

_Of course, Sir._

After a moment, the Gambler disappeared down the hallway, and after a few more a short hooded form appeared with Oathkeeper Keyblade drawn. A ball of lead dropped into Luxord's stomach and he took a single step back, wearily eyeing one of the few weapons that could actually do horrible damage to a Nobody.

"...Roxas?" asked Luxord slowly, trying to look under the hood. The figure was certainly short enough to be Roxas, and his Gamblers were experts at reading people's habits as well as their auras, but...it was possible that, should this be...oh...

...hopefully it wasn't...

"Shhh," hushed the hooded figure, causing Luxord to relax a fraction when he realized that, indeed, it wasn't one of the very few people he feared outside of the Organization. After a second, the figure reached up and pulled down his hood, revealing a frazzled-looking Roxas.

"Luxord, you need to get out of here, with your friend," he explained in a harsh whisper, glancing over Luxord's shoulder and pausing only a second to sweep his eyes over Fran's figure. The warrior had gotten to her feet and was glaring at the teen, but Roxas merely shook his head and turned back towards Luxord, who seemed somewhat confused.

"Any particular reason, Roxas?" Luxord asked as he obediently gestured for Fran to come closer to him while Roxas opened the cell door. The Keyblade Weilder shook his head and stepped back so Luxord could come out, Fran following quickly behind.

"Xemnas and Saix are coming. They heard she killed a good number of strong Heartless and don't care about how she got here anymore and see her as a possible threat." Instantly, Luxord grimanced upon realizing what that meant and unconsciously reached out towards Fran. The Viera, after an instant of hesitation, daintily put her hand within his and he glanced over his shoulder with a slight smile before turning back. "You need to hurry."

Luxord looked perturbed. "I would be leaving you behind."

"Think of it as a plot twist," Roxas decided with a slight smile at the elder man. "The dashing sky pirate and his beautiful partner rush off to the great unknown while their young accomplice plays innocent and tries to keep their persuers at bay so he doesn't steal the spotlight. You understand, naturally."

Luxord chuckled lowly at the crack at his personality. "Touche," he muttered. "Take care of yourself, eh, Roxas? And tell Axel I appologize for not taking him with."

With a single nod, Roxas pulled up his hood again. "Right. I will."

"C'mon, Fran," Luxord said to his companion, opening a Corridor of Darkness next to him and gently pulling Fran towards it.

"Where are you taking me?" she wondered, not sounding all that upset despite her words.

"I'm taking you someplace where there isn't a risk of you being killed by my not-so-friendly superiors." The deadpan Luxord unintentionally adopted completely ruined the tone that was supposed to originally be jovial. "Believe me when I say that Saix is not exactly known for being a cute and cuddly puppy."

Obediently, Fran followed Luxord into the portal, the two ending up in Betwix and Between.

"This is...where the _Rayndmacc_ led me," Fran murmured, her voice echoing oddly in the empty, swirling space.

"This is the way that the _Rayndmacc_, or Heartless, and _Huputoc_, Nobodys, travel," Luxord explained, glancing around for a moment before scowling somewhat. "Dammit. I have no idea where we could go that they would be unable to follow."

"...Luxord?"

Shaking his head, Luxord glanced over his shoulder with one of his normal smiles in place. "Ah, don't worry about it, Fran. Just give me a moment to think."

"I do not think we have the time," Fran said slowly, staring somewhere to their left. Luxord blinked before following her gaze, at which point he scowled as he saw at least five Berserkers and two Sorcerers appear and start towards them.

"I've got them," he assured his companion, raising his free hand and summoning up his favorite deck, Fair Game. With a flick of his wrist, seven cards shot out of the deck and enlarged enough to attack the creatures. Luxord didn't bother to take in Fran's expression as he dismissed the deck save the attack cards and instead opened a portal to the nearest planet.

"C'mon," Luxord muttered forcefully, tugging Fran into the portal and wincing from the backlash when two of his Fair Game cards were destroyed. He practically shoved Fran the rest of the way through, letting go of her hand, before turning around and raising it, summoning the cards back to him as he grinned at the attacking Nobodys. "Good day, my friends-and tell the Superior he can kick my ass later."

And with that, he jumped into the portal after Fran, quickly closing it behind him as he landed on the other side.

-END-

MKL's Post-Production Notes (9-24-13): Well then! Luxord and Balthier! Between the two, I don't know which I'd like to meet more~

...okay, that's a lie. It'd totally be Balthier. ;3

SPOILERS: The planet would be Halloween Town. Obviously the duo would make their way, slowly, back toward Ivalice. Along the way they'd be joined by Axel and Roxas, who would defect only days after our favorite pirates' escape, and eventually-and to the surprise of everyone-Xigbar. Because this was written before he turned into an asshat working for Xemnas. That'd be the first arc of the story. The second would be arriving on Ivalice and (re-)introducing to the FFXII gang and such, ending with them being found by Organization XIII. The last would be getting the Org the hell out and rediscovering their hearts and fun shite like that.


	4. AnimeKH: Nobody Redeux

**Kingdom Hearts:  
****Nobody ReDeux**

Summary: After an unknown amount of time, Xemnas, once leader of the powerful Organization XIII, finds himself returned to the Universe alone-and still without his Heart. Too soon new Nobodys worthy of working towards Kingdom Hearts appear, and this time Xemnas is more determined than ever to make sure they all recieve their Hearts. This is how these powerful members of the new Organization were gathered together for Xemnas' chance at redemption...and their own. Post-KH2, ignores parts of BBS and 358/2; arguably AU with that in mind

Pairings: Canon (including one-sided), i.e. AxelRoxas(which IS canon, according to Nomura himself), PartialSoraKairi, PartialRikuKairi, PartialRoxasNamine, etc. Also look out for: A few pairings from the pasts of the Nobodys, both old and new, which shouldn't make too much of a difference in the future. Otherwise we'll just have to see whether people start jumping each other or not. ;)

_**Simple Emotions  
**__A Prologue_

"I'm alive again-or at least, that's what they claim. What _He_ claims. But how do I know it's true? After all, someone without a Heart can never truly be alive..."

_Lately you're all I need, fast asleep_

_You're giving me too many things except,_

_snoitome eurt_

_My heart's a battleground and_

_The daily things that keep us busy are confusing me_

_But thanks for showing me how to see_

_There is nothing whole and nothing broken_

Darkness and Light clash, each attempting to be rid of the other even though both are needed to survive. I used to think it was foolish, this little struggle that continues throughout the ages, and the more I researched it, the more I believed that thought to be true. Without one, the other cannot exist, and visa-versa. So why continue this senseless battle that claims so many victims, that refuses to let some die while condemning others to do exactly that? But now that it's all over, I realize what a hypocrite that is. That's precisely what I did-what _we_ did. Darkness and Light...we chose our sides, and we fought for our beliefs. I won. He lost. Or at least, I think that was the final score. It's impossible to tell anymore.

But at least we're both Whole now (I think). And not too long ago, I couldn't exactly say that to be true. That was what we both secretly wanted...so why am I having second thoughts?

_When you walk away_

_Music will tie_

_What you don't hear me say:_

_wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen i_

_Simple and clean, you're my Sanctuary_

_And it's hard to let you go_

_With what's left of me_

_What's left of me now_

The Keyblades...are the embodiment of Light. The Heartless...are the embodiment of Darkness. That's what all the books said, and what I believed to be true until _that incident_. But after _that incident_, I began to wonder: If the Keyblades are Light, then why are there four Keybladers, one for each Realm-including Darkness? If the Heartless are Darkness, then why are they so docile if kept well-fed and able to do as they wish-including help those of the Light? Both of these are true. Both of these have happened. So then perhaps not everything is as it seems. He knows more about this than I do, I suppose, but he's been gone for a while now.

And surprisingly, I sometimes find myself wishing he would return-if only to give me something to do. Or at least...that's the reason I keep giving myself.

_I watch you fast asleep_

_Oh baby, don't go_

_In you and I there's a new land_

_When you're older you'll understand,_

_My Sanctuary_

_My fears and lies melt away with you_

_And maybe some things are that simple_

I don't know if he realizes how much he helped the others, even if they didn't exactly get what they wanted. I still see and sense and even smell them, sometimes. Normally it's just a flash out of the corner of my eye, or a single unnatural occurrence, but I know it's them. There's no denying that scent of ocean breeze, or the unnaturally powerful heat from a small flame. The occasional strike of lightning that goes astray and just barely misses an innocent, or the times someone should fall but doesn't as if gravity has given them a break. The sudden biting cold of winter in the middle of July, giving a moment's reprise from the heat; the time that seems to move faster while sitting boredly in class listening to another boring lecture. The breeze that comes from nowhere in particular on an otherwise-still day; the flowers that seem to suddenly bloom when someone of intense beauty or power or even a random person walks by. The sudden shake of the earth that causes you to appreciate living just a little bit more; the flickering of light in an otherwise-dark room that leads those that are stranded to safety. The way the shadows seem to shift as if someone is watching your back; the gentle glimmer of the moon when no one else is there to give comfort as the tears fall.

They're all accounted for, except for him. But perhaps that's for the best. After all, sometimes you have to lose a battle to prove the pointlessness of war.

_When you walk away_

_Music will tie_

_What you don't hear me say:_

_wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen i_

_Simple and clean, you're my Sanctuary_

_And it's hard to let you go_

_With what's left of me_

_What's left of me_

_What's left of me now_

A lot of others, of course, don't agree. They seem to think that Darkness is always evil and Light is always good. But they didn't see what I saw when I finally won. They didn't see the look of relief, the thankfulness in his eye. The Second War ended because he sacrificed himself to stop the cycle. I still remember what he said to me in that odd, silent voice he somehow managed to use in a strange mimicry of the very power he was trying to collect: "If any more appear...take care of them. Prevent this from happening. Protect them from the prejudice and the lies. Because they don't deserve to fight for their right to simply exist; they deserve much better. You seem to be one of the few who understand that."

And you know what? I do. That's why I'm still out there, looking for others. Scouring the Worlds for some sign of a lost Body, or a lost Heart, hoping their pair is somewhere out there so they can reunite. Just as mine did. Just as his (hopefully) has.

_I will prove I love you_

_When our fears and lies melt away_

_All I fear means nothing_

_(compared to) Whatever lies beyond this morning_

_snoitome eurt deen i_

_My Sanctuary_

_Sanctuary...yeah_

Sometimes I take a break from the horrors of the Universe and come back here, to that place where we had our last battle. I don't know what I expect to find; after all, he's gone. And hopefully now, he remembers what it feels like to be happy...to be in love...to draw on powers of emotions other than anger and rage. Because he deserves it, and I know he does. Just like the others, he deserves the chance to start anew and love and hope and dream as everyone else does. I wonder if he found his Other Half somewhere, if they ironed out their differences to give their Original a second chance at life. I'm happy mine did. And as soon as he remembers everything that happened here, I'll be waiting to see him. After all, he deserves to prove to everyone he really _can_ help the Worlds.

The others call me foolish, but I don't care. I honestly believe he was a good person at (excusing the pun) Heart. His last wish is testament to that. It deserves to be fulfilled.

_When you walk away_

_Music will tie_

_What you don't hear me say:_

_wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen i_

_Simple and clean, you're my Sanctuary_

_And it's hard to let you go_

_With what's left of me_

_What's left of me_

_Left of me_

_Now_

So please, take care of him, Kingdom Hearts. Give him a second chance. If I had the power, I know I would.

The wisher on a million stars,

Sora Hikari Nomura

_My fears and lies melt away..._

_And nothing's like before_

_**-NEXT-  
**_EPILOG

_**XIII**_

Hidden within his own cloak and a shroud of Darkness, Xiruk silently stood on top of a roof overlooking the beach of the Kids' Isle, watching as two teens spoke enthusiastically to each other. The elder one, a boy with long silver hair and bright green eyes, laughed at something the younger one, a girl with mid-length red hair and purple-blue eyes, said and soon the girl was laughing along with him. The action made the corner of Xiruk's lip curl up in the shadow of a smile, although he was soon distracted when a warm Light filtered down from above. Glancing up, Xiruk blinked once as it illuminated a cave the Nobody had never seen before...

_**12**_

It had been a long night for Sha Gojyo. Women, drinking, gambling, and a hell of a daze accompanied him as he stumbled through the strange (to him) World of the Carribean, nearly tripping and giving a curse as he did so. His vision swam and he moaned, leaning against a tree and closing his crimson eyes. Okay, maybe he'd had a bit too much to drink that night. A loud sound suddenly caused those crimson eyes to snap open with a flash of awareness, and they widened in shock when a bolt of lightning flashed down out of the clear sky and slammed just inches away from the tree he was in. Slowly, Gojyo gulped, suddenly sobered. Maybe he shouldn't be so carelessly standing about when a lightning bolt could come so close to hitting him without any warning like that...

_**XI**_

A hum escaped Natsuki Sasahara's mouth as she skipped along a street in the world known as Traverse Town, occasionally stopping to look through the shops around her and ogle at things out of her price range before forcing herself to move on. This was something she did often back home, and it reminded her of the life she had left behind so long ago. Although she wasn't upset she had; after all, if she got her Heart back, maybe Batanen would finally ask her out! A squeal escaped Natsuki despite herself and she stopped next to a box of flowers, grinning a cat-grin as her tail swished excitedly behind her back. It was only vaguly that she noticed the flowers in the box slowly open themselves to the nonexistant light, showing off their beauty to the half-cat girl...

_**10**_

Although used to the bore that was reading files, Roy Mustang was not happy at the moment, staring down at the paperwork that followed him through even space just to clog up his desk. It seemed Lieutenant Hawkeye took his "leave of absense" as a way to get out of paperwork and sent him it accordingly-somehow. Before that day, Roy didn't even know The World That Never Was even _got_ mail. But either way, Roy had promised himself that he would spend one hour working on it each day, if for no other reason than to prevent Riza from using him as target practice when he got back. The next time Roy glanced up at the clock, he blinked in surprise before smothering a smirk of triumph, not realizing just how quickly that hour had passed by...

_**IX**_

A bottle of sake and a tree to lounge under was all Shunsui Kyoraku needed to be content with life. Sitting there in the place known as the Enchanted Woodland as he sipped his drink, Shunsui let out a sigh of contentment. Yup, this was the life. If only Nao would just show up and kick him for not doing his paperwork, or Jushiro come to sip it with him until he had to go to Fourth Devision for another check-up. That would just make everything feel like he was home again; well, that and maybe a water source nearby. As if summoned by that thought, a sudden scent caught Shunsui's attention and he suddenly jerked up in a sitting position, looking around with confusion and intrigue for the source of the smell of salt water that had seemed to heed his thoughts...

_**8**_

If there was one thing Yuffie Kisaragi was sure she would've hated if she had a Heart, she was sure it was lieing to her friends like she was. Her cock-and-bull story was more than enough to convince them to accept her again, but she still sensed that ever-present feeling of Emptiness. _'Is this how the Nobodys we made Sora kill felt all the time?'_ she wondered, sitting alone in her room with only a small candle to light the way. Yuffie's own thoughts caused her to shiver, and it was only later that night when she would notice exactly how warm the heat from the candle had seemed...

_**VII**_

Life hadn't changed much, if at all, for Lloyd Asplund. He still spent most of his time creating and researching various items and ideas, he still wore his white lab outfit all the time, he still had Cecile helping him out with everything if perhaps a little wearily; yup, nothing had changed for Lloyd. Maybe he had some better equiptment, and maybe he wanted to just curl up into a ball and die a bit more often, but other than that he was exactly the same. Lloyd even still hid out on the balcony far away from everyone at night to reminisce and laugh and cry with now-false Emotions over the life he had left behind for his darling science, although the moon seemed a little brighter and more comforting than it ever had before...

_**6**_

With all the spunk she possessed, Laetitia "Laeti" Strauss fired her Magick-laced bullets into everything that moved within the forest in Twilight Town, letting loose some of her frustration. Ever since she had lost her Heart, everything felt so useless! How was it she had survived while Akabara had died or gotten eaten by Heartless or whatever!? Why was it that Kingdom Hearts decided she had more Will than he did?! Didn't it _know_ everything Akabara had done, how much he had given up and how much that took out of him!? A scream of rage escaped Laeti and she suddenly dropped to her knees, sobbing and curling herself into a ball. And as she let out her fear and rage and sorrow, Laeti never noticed the way the shadows shifted around her, forming the Illusion of comfort and watching her back so she didn't fall pray to Heartless again...

_**V**_

A cheerful laugh flew from Xelloss Metallium as he half-ran, half-flew around the world known as the Pride Lands. Never had he felt so free as he had since killing Zelas! No more orders he had to obey or else risk death, no more need to interfere when he didn't want to and not when he did! He was free to accept missions at will and do whatever he liked in his off time (within reason, of course), and damn if he wasn't happy about it! Suddenly, the earth started shaking and Xelloss skidded to a stop on all four paws, blinking down at the ground as it suddenly stopped. Okay, so maybe it wasn't all fun and games. After all, Xelloss had never even thought about how lucky it was he had never experienced a killer earthquake before...

_**4**_

With Hakuryu flying about his head in cheerful circles with loud "kyuu"s of joy, Cho Hakkai smiled an honest-to-goodness smile. It hadn't occured to him before exactly how hard that had once been. In the sweltering heat back home, with Sanzo moping and Gojyo and Goku fighting all the time behind him, it had often been a challenge to keep that eternal upturn of his lips in place. Even with how hot it was in Agrabah and the many Heartless he had just taken down easily, however, he found he could smile so much more easily than ever before. Although Hakkai got the sense that at least partially had to do with the pleasent and out-of-place pocket of cool air that he had just walked through...

_**III**_

In Jin's opinion...

-END-

MKL's Post-Production Notes (9-24-13): So this was my take on re-making the Organization with others, notably from anime/manga characters, except Yuffie and Xiruk (who if you don't know whose Nobody he is I'm severely disappointed in you!). Also, before it's asked, I did that remix of My Sanctuary and Simple And Clean myself AGES ago. Like, back in Freshman year of high school. Maybe even late in 8th grade! That's, like, more than seven years ago now. (HOLY SHIT DO I FEEL OLD XD)

SPOILERS: Not much planned. Just an idea of how these VERY different people would come together into a new Organization that Xemnas would go out of his way to make sure meshed and communed better than before. Also, the notes on who all would have been there, their roles, their weapon(s), their elements, their titles, and their Nobody minions:

**I - **Xemnas (Kingdom Hearts)  
Element: Nothing  
Weapon(s): Aeroblades  
Nobodys: Sorcerer  
Title: Superior

**II - **Kaguya Kimimaro (Naruto)  
Element: Earth  
Weapon(s): Bones  
Nobodys: Assassin  
Title: Shinobi of the Bones

**III - **Jin (Yu Yu Hakusho)  
Element: Wind  
Weapon(s): Power Gloves (like Tifa's NOT THE GAMER ONES)  
Nobodys: Samurai  
Title: Demonic Windmaster

**IV - **Cho Hakkai (and Hakuryu!) (Saiyuki)  
Element: Chi/LifeEnergy  
Weapon(s): Double-Sided Spear  
Nobodys: Lizard (see Xemnas' Dragon Ship)  
Title: Dragon's Gentleman

**V - **Xelloss Metallium (Slayers)  
Element: Reality  
Weapon(s): Mazoku Staff  
Nobodys: Gambler  
Title: Gamemaster of Reality

**VI - **Laetitia "Laeti" Strauss (Record of a Fallen Vampire)  
Element: Ice  
Weapon(s): Magick Shotgun  
Nobodys: Dragoon  
Title: Devil's Child

**VII - **Lloyd Asplund (Code Geass)  
Element: Steel  
Weapon(s): Knightmare (Lancelot)  
Nobodys: Motorcycle (see Magnum Loader)  
Title: Earl of Science

**VIII - **Yuffie Kisaragi (Final Fantasy VII/Kingdom Hearts)  
Element: Illusion  
Weapon(s): Conformer  
Nobodys: Wolf (see Cerberus)  
Title: Senses Thief

**IX - **Shunsui Kyoraku (Bleach)  
Element: Plants/Flowers  
Weapon(s): Katen Kyokotsu  
Nobodys: Knight (see Armored Knight)  
Title: Shinigami of the Twin Blades

**X - **Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist)  
Element: Fire  
Weapon(s): Gloves/Flare Guns  
Nobodys: Sniper  
Title: Flare Alchemist

**XI - **Natsuki Sasahara (Hyper Police)  
Element: Lightning  
Weapon(s): Parasites(Rajin,Fujin) & Orihalcon Sword  
Nobodys: Dancer  
Title: Electrifying Swordsmaster

**XII - **Sha Gojyo (Saiyuki)  
Element: Water  
Weapon(s): Shakujou  
Nobodys: Warrior (see Twilight Thorn)  
Title: Loyal Kappa

**XIII -**Xiruk (Kingdom Hearts/Nobody Redeux)  
Element: Darkness  
Weapon(s): Soul Eater & Darkness Rising  
Nobodys: Berserker  
Title: Darkness Warrior


End file.
